US 

SILVER WAVE FILM FESTIVAL LAUNCHES PROGRAMME ON OCTOBER 14TH, ALL WELCOME!!

NB Film Co-op marks 16th Anniversary of Silver Wave Film Festival in celebration of New Brunswick Filmmakers

Silver Wave runs November 3-9, 2.016

Please join the NB Film Co-op organizers as they launch the Festival programme for Silver Wave 2016!

Silver Wave annually spotlights the province's rich film talent and cultural legacy in film. The festival draws its inspiration from New Brunswick's extraordinary and diverse collection of films, created by filmmakers from every age group and walk of life. The festival exists to engage fans of all ages in the art of cinema.

 A significant element of the festival includes the NB Shorts which are the focal point of the event, and draw large crowds. Laid out around the NB shorts, is a visual feast of local and international shorts and documentaries with several carefully chosen features highlighted in key programming slots.

Hundreds of independent and commercial filmmakers and producers will also take a break from film watching during the fest to mix and mingle at the Silver Wave Industry Series, an exciting annual industry day with panels, roundtables and a special producer's reception.

"Silver Wave is always a proud moment for all of us who've had the privilege of volunteering on the festival annually," said Tony Merzetti, NB Film Co-op ED and Silver Wave Co-organizer. "This year's festival is designed to bring back longtime movie lovers and fans, and to engage new audiences with our programming line-up."

When: 12 noon, October 14, Friday. 

Where: 732 Charlotte Street, Charlotte Street Arts Centre, Upstairs Auditorium, Fredericton.

Refreshments will be served.

This is a great opportunity to celebrate and support film in NB. Mix and mingle and see the 2016 Silver Wave promo trailer!

The Festival would not be possible without its major sponsors and supporters: 

Platinum Sponsors: Province of New Brunswick, City of Fredericton, Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne, Equifilm, CBC Television and Radio, Crowne Plaza, University of New Brunswick's Faculty of Arts, Nick Wilson Videography, East Coast Camera Rentals, The Canada Council for the Arts, Telefilm Canada, Picaroons, and the New Brunswick Filmmakers' Co-operative, 

Gold Sponsors: Don Chapman, Let em Laugh Productions

Silver Sponsors: Arrowhead Electric Ltd., daVinci College

Bronze Sponsors: Carlee JC, IATSE 849, Frictive Pictures, Robert Simmonds Clothing, Insurmountable Sounds, imagineNATIVE, Hemmings House, CinéRelève, Cinema Politica, MediaNB, Grid City Magazine, WIFT-AT, and all its dedicated supporters and volunteers.

FROM THE FILM VAULT - SILVER WAVE TRAILER PRODUCER GRATEFUL FOR NBFC COMMUNITY

What a journey the last few years have been. I wrote my first full length film, shot and finished my second full length (The Divorce), worked on a television show with Elaine Shannon, created a web series (Edge of the Line). I also met all the wonderful people in our film community, and became a part of the NB Film Co-op. It's been a whirlwind. But back those few years ago, on a day I was feeling particularly down for god knows why, I received an email from Cat LeBlanc that said the following.

"Hi Rob, would you be interested in doing the Promo trailer for SWFF this year?"

I remember reading that and having this odd sense of accomplishment, someone in the industry in my home province had asked me to help. I immediately replied that YES I would be honoured to do whatever I could for the festival.

Then five minutes later elation turned to fear. Holy crap what did I get myself into? I'm a nobody who makes potty mouth movies. What the hell do I know about cutting a trailer together for an entire festival? How dare I think I could handle something like this? 

So I did what anyone would do, I walked away and forgot about it for a few weeks. I had hundreds of ideas, but they all involved too many people, time and travel. So I did some more ignoring. Until I received a second email from Cat with the private links to all the wonderful films that were going to be a part of this years festival. There were many, so the first task was to watch them, and so I did, in my dark basement editing suite I watched film after film to get a feel and understanding of just what people who attend the festival were going to see. With a good idea of the material, I began to edit. But I made a mistake that many editors tend to make, I edited to my tastes. As I sat back and watched what I had created I loved it, of course I did, I did it. But as I watched it again and again I realized something, I was missing the connection. It was missing the feeling that people get when they watch movies. 

I deleted my project, put my feet up, and wondered what was missing. The more I watched and pondered, the more It became apparent to me that there were three very key elements, or emotions. Happiness, Love and action. These were the major factors for each of these films. Film is a visual medium, and we have visuals covered.  But what hits the emotion out of the park, is music. I needed some great music. I picked up my phone and called Gary Stackhouse, not only one of the stars of my movie The Divorce, but also a very talented musician who can play pretty much any instrument and write to any genre or feeling (ask him to play Sweet Home Alabama, he will happily oblige, by the way).

I had a breakfast meeting with Gary and my better half Tracey and said, "Gary, I want to hit three emotions, happy, romantic, and action." I then explained what concept I would like for sound for each one. The most complicated being the action track. When I told him I wanted a war chant, I was afraid he would look at me like I was crazy, but instead he nodded and simply said, "Oh I have the perfect idea." Three days later Gary sent me the first of the tracks, the action segment, and with that I began to cut. It was a perfect job. He nailed it. I had the emotion I wanted. Then he sent me the next track, and I began to edit, and as I finished up he sent me the final piece. I now had all three tracks. The assembly began. With the visuals and the music in place, I had what I thought was a trailer that not only hit the beats I needed it to, it also gave every film clip I was able to use a moment of shine. But it needed something more. We needed to bring the Silver Wave Film Festival logo to life. I reached out to Waylon Simpson who did some work for me on The Divorce and said, "Waylon, I need some movement, some life from this logo. We as New Brunswick filmmakers have to work extra hard to prove ourselves, this festival is the bright light in our community, let's honour that". A man of few words, he simply said, "I'm on it." Man did he deliver. You don't need a lot to have a large impact.

The opening and closing animation are a representation of that very thing, for one weekend in November every year, we all as a film community come together, we celebrate our accomplishments, we congratulate each other on following our dreams and passions. It doesn't matter if you're shooting a commercial documentary for television, making a short film for you and your friends because you just wanted to, or if you want to make a full length because you and your friends are just crazy enough to see it through, this one special weekend as one group, through all the drama, the doubters, the supporters, the insanity that it takes to see our projects finished, the Silver Wave Film Festival is our weekend in the spotlight of our friends, peers, fans, and everyone in between. 

Cutting this trailer was one of the most memorable things I've ever done those few years back, and I'm touched that Cat and Tony asked me to do it. A guy who created Let Em Laugh Productions because folks laughed when I said I wanted to make movies. Thank you for your ongoing support. I'm proud to say that I will be creating the Festival promo trailer for this year's event as well. (Silver Wave runs November 3-6 this year)

When the festival opens up in November this year as we now celebrate our 16th SWFF, get out, support your film community, and be proud as hell of what you are seeing.

MEMBERSHIPS

Ashley Phinney doesn't want to bust any heads, time to get your membership renewed for the year if you are in arrears...it's August. Memberships are due in Jan/Feb annually. 

New and Renewed Members: Naomi Frooman (Fredericton), Susan McAdam (Fredericton)

THANK YOU TO THE MEMBERS FOR HELPING THE NBFC

Thank you to the Directing Actors participants for helping to clean up following the workshop, you all rock! 

HELP NEEDED!

Members, here is your chance to get your volunteer hours in. Email Cat at info@nbfilmcoop.com if you would like to volunteer on a member production or on any co-op activity. Lots to do, don't be shy! You can help out in any area your live in, in NB.

BUZZ

SILVER WAVE NEEDS VOLUNTEERS! SUBMIT YOUR VOLUNTEER FORM TODAY!

Volunteering with the annual NB Silver Wave Film Festival is a rewarding experience and a great way to support the Festival!

It's no secret that Silver Wave is bursting with pride over its filmmakers and its volunteer community. Friendships and great films continue to bring together a community of volunteers dedicated to planning and producing a world-class grass roots film festival.

A Message for Returning Volunteers. Please come back to us!

 A Message for New Volunteers 

Volunteering with the Silver Wave Film Festival is a rewarding experience and a great way to support the Festival!  Once you have applied, you will receive an acknowledgement email from us. It will give you some instructions that will help us keep in touch with you about your status.  Please note that we receive more applications than we are able to find placements and therefore there is NO GUARANTEE that applying to be a volunteer means you will be a volunteer. We will have our volunteer meeting and begin placing volunteers into their roles mid October once the festival programme and website are launched on October 14th. 

Volunteer Areas:

Technical - assist main fest tech heads

Stills Photography (must have own stills camera

Venue Managers 

Signage

Drivers (must have car)

Ticket Booth installation (must have truck)

Guest Hosts (do not have to feed, just house)

Videography - (must have own video camera)

Ticket taking 

Cashiers

PAs (programme & poster distribution, errands etc)

To apply to be an Apprentice volunteer (13-17 year olds), please complete an application form. We will need  your parents permission for you to volunteer with us.  

What Do We Expect?

As members of our Festival community, we all play an important role in the success of the Silver Wave Film Festival. We bear a responsibility to ourselves, to others and to the organization to uphold the following Standards of Conduct: 

We treat everyone with respect (responsibility for oneself)

- be kind and positive, to each other and the public

- contribute to healthy discussion and remain open to other points of view

- focus on solutions rather than problems

- adhere to all general Participant Responsibilities at the Festival

- work as a team (responsibility to others)

- share views and information proactively

- offer help when needed 

- engage in collaborative problem-solving

- express appreciation for the collective efforts of all

 ****We are ambassadors of the Silver Wave Film Festival (responsibility to the organization)

- contribute to the organization's mission and vision

 - represent the organization in a positive way, and encourage this positive behavior in others

 - respect the property and information of the organization

 - celebrate, share and spread the SWFF feeling at the Festival and year-round

We also have a very limited number of year-round volunteer opportunities with a specific time commitment.

In addition to these Standards of Conduct, we ask the following of all of our volunteers:

- Smile and have fun

- Know what's expected of you and do your job to the best of your ability

- Fulfill all volunteer responsibilities

- Be prepared for all conditions as well as any specific requirements for your job

- Arrive on time or early for meetings and scheduled shifts ready to work

- Wear your volunteer t-shirt and volunteer pass while you are on shift

- Ensure that you have eaten before your shift

- Not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while on duty

- Drink responsibly while off duty

- Refer media questions involving policy or sensitive issues to the two core Festival organizers

What Do We Offer in Return?

We offer a great benefits package to our volunteers that includes:

- The opportunity to be part of creating a magical experience for over 3,000 people.

- A chance to be part of a volunteer community and make new friends.

- Great work experience and networking

- A Volunteer T-shirt.

- Access to festival events and screenings and the private volunteer party post festival

Download the volunteer form for SWFF for 2016 here: volunteer-at-silver-wave-2016.pdf OR email info@nbfilmcoop.com and ask for a volunteer form to be emailed to you. 

PROFILE ON CHARLOTTETOWN FILM FEST POWERHOUSE CHERYL WAGNER

by Jane Ledwell, Lighthouse keeper

Cheryl Wagner

Oh my heart—“ begins Cheryl Wagner, with a flourish of her hands, “I was in a movie theatre waiting for a film to start, and I reached for a seatbelt.” She mimes the gesture for belting up and then for embarrassed confusion. “In a way,” she says, “we need psychological seatbelts to watch a film. You invite into your brain forever images that are possibly indelible!”

As the organizer of the Charlottetown Film Festival, Cheryl Wagner is dealing in indelible images. She says. “All cultures tell stories—I’m doing my little bit of the big dream to tell our stories to the world.”

The Festival, which Cheryl calls the “Little Festival of Big Dreams,” highlights “the gumption, tenacity, and commitment of filmmakers.” Cheryl says, “I’m very excited about the activity, against all odds, of our film storytellers, of their persistence. My little motto is ‘Moving Pictures Forward.’”

I joke that Cheryl speaks in big-screen titles. “I’m willing to say one of my strengths is word play—I should have worked in advertising,” she laughs. “I like playing with words. And puppets. And children. And dogs.”

Known internationally as a producer of television for children, creator of the Big Comfy Couch, Cheryl sums up her accomplishments in soundbites. “My career all started here in PEI in the 1970s, when Pierre Trudeau offered Local Improvement Project grants, and we talked them into a grant for a touring puppet show. We didn’t know what we were doing, but it turned out we had talent. It led to working with Jim Henson and the Muppets in Toronto and then to my own clown/puppet work.”

She says, “I always say my memoir would be called The Further Adventures of a Coward… I never intended to be a producer—I had an idea that became Big Comfy Couch, and surprisingly it got full financing…

“What I learned (as a producer) is it’s like you’re a lighthouse, turning 360 degrees, looking for problems you can shine your light on it. You’re looking for disasters in all directions,” she says. “It’s like being a mother. Every mother can be a producer!”

And, Cheryl, as a mother, says, “My kids pulled me back to PEI to live in Charlottetown.” One of her children, Harmony Wagner, is a filmmaker, too, and her feature Singing to Myself will be part of the festival.

“It’s so remarkable,” she says, “and I’m not saying this because I’m her mother.” The film was made as part of what Cheryl lovingly calls a “ridiculous challenge” for women to make feature films for just $1,000.

“I was involved, I was watching how hard it was. I took a call for Harmony during shooting and said she was out shooting on location, and the caller said, ‘Location? With $1,000, everyone else has an agoraphobic in an apartment.’

“She had $1,000 to make a film—but it’s a million dollar film. That’s its value. But you can’t sustain that…” It’s perhaps a microcosm of filmmaking on PEI today.

“What this community has pulled off is humbling,” Cheryl says. “The next generation is not just coming—they’re here.”

At this stage in her life and career, Cheryl says, “I’m not making films—I’m trying to make a film festival.” The Charlottetown Film Festival will show over 40 films from Atlantic Canada (and a partnership with Ireland), including “some feature films and a wild array of eclectic shorts.” Sponsored by the Charlottetown Film Society, the festival all takes place in City Cinema, “our little treasure box.”

Organizing the Charlottetown Film Festival, Cheryl says, “I’ve shone the light on our community. What is true about PEI is that culture pulls people here and keeps people here. It is a valuable, valuable asset.

“PEI is the only province without a media fund, and I hope that will change. We want to keep young people here and have families—not just retirees…

“We need to see ourselves mirrored back to ourselves, for a sense of pride and recognition…one film and one film festival at a time.”

FREDERICTON'S MONDAY NIGHT FILM SERIES RETURNS!

Dear Cinephiles,

Hope everyone is having a great fall! The team at the Monday Night Film Series is looking forward to serving you this fall, and we're pretty excited about the line-up of films!

For the 2016/2017 season, we will be keeping our prices for memberships and admissions the same as last year. 

Annual Memberships (Sept 2016 - April 2017) are $30 regular and $18 (students, seniors, NB film co-op members)

Half year memberships (Sept 2016 - Dec 2016) are $20 regular and $12 (students, seniors, NB film co-op members)

Admission prices: Members $4.00 and General admission $7.00

We will have programmes and posters available.

Please check out the film lineup on our website:  http://www.nbfilmcoop.com/exhibition/monday-night-film-series

Phone 455-1632 and email: info@nbfilmcoop.com concerning memberships please

See you at the movies!

Tony, Cat and John

--------------------------------------------

SUNSET SONG

WHEN: Monday October 3rd at 7:30pm in Tilley 102, UNB. 

135 Mins, UK/Luxembourg, 2015, English

Terence Davies (The Deep Blue Sea, The House  of Mirth) has created some of the greatest British cinema of the past 40 years, and has now realized a long-held dream with this adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s classic 1932 novel (a staple in Scottish classrooms). Chronicling the joys and sorrows of Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn), the daughter of a farming family in northeast Scotland, Sunset Song is an exquisitely shot meditation on a way of life that has disappeared into the mists of the past.

Scratching a livelihood out of the harsh terrain, the Guthrie family cowers in obe-dient fear of its patriarch (Peter Mullan, Sunshine on Leith, Riff-Raff), a man prone to sudden and ferocious bursts of anger. Along with her brother Will (Jack Greenlees), the beautiful and intelligent Chris dreams of freedom and escape. When a surprising turn of events leaves Chris in charge of the farm, she rises to the occasion and is soon running her affairs singlehandedly. Proud and self- sufficient, Chris finds love with her neighbour, the handsome young Ewan Tavendale (Kevin Guthrie, The Legend of Barney Thomson, Sunshine on Leith) - but the shadow of the Great War soon reaches even this remote corner of Europe, and Chris’ home and happiness are threatened by forces beyond her control. 

Applying his lyrical “memory realism” style to the simultaneously stunning and forbidding rural landscape, Davies makes every scene like something out of an Old Masters canvas. But while he finds great beauty in the world that Chris makes for herself, he well knows that nothing is permanent, and that the world outside can be harsh and unkind. Depicting both unexpected bliss and crushing sadness with incomparable sensitivity, Davies has created yet another heartbreakingly beautiful ode to a time long gone.

Terence Davies’s Sunset Song is a movie with a catch or sob in its singing voice: a beautifully made and deeply felt adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s 1932 novel of rural Scotland before the first world war—Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

This year, 30 limited release, independent foreign & Canadian films will be shown. Admission is $7/film, but a yearly $18 student film society membership reduces admission cost to $4/film. The series is open to all. Memberships are available at Tilley 102 every Monday night.

For further info, contact NB Film Co-op 455-1632  info@nbfilmcoop.com http://www.nbfilmcoop.com/exhibition/monday-night-film-series

The NB Film Co-op in partnership with the UNB Faculty of Arts and the Toronto Film Festival presents the series.